Pin game



Aug. 20, 1940.

R. B. MANGOLD PIN GAME Filed May 9, 1939 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 my, fizzimm ozd PIN GAME Filed May 9, 1959 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 O o L jvvum'vt T I g0 zf 1 0 5.1527 76111 0261 5? Patented Aug. 20, 1940 UNITED STATES PATENT orrics 4 Claims.

This invention relates to improvements in games and pertains particularly to an improved form of aerial projectile game.

The present invention has for its primary object to provide a game involving the use of a tethered aerial projectile and a plurality of shiftable pin members designed to be struck by the projectile, wherein novel means is provided whereby the said pins may all be restored to 1 their play positions after they have been knocked over by the projectile.

Another object of the invention is to provide a form of pin ball game involving the use of a tethered projectile, wherein there is employed a combined projectile tethering means and hazard which requires the exercise by a player of a considerable amount of skill in order to accomplish the desired object of the same which is to displace or knock over as many as possible of the pins by a single projection or play of the tethered projectile. g

A still further and more specific object of the invention is to provide a form of pin ball game in which are employed a plurality of pin members arranged in a desired order upon a playing surface, wherein said pin members are all loosely coupled together and connected through said coupling means with a setting means by the single movement of which the pins may all be restored to upright position after being knocked over or displaced by a play ball.

The invention will be best understood from a consideration of the following detailed description taken in connection with the accompanying 1 drawings forming part of this specification, with the understanding, however, that the invention is not to be confined to any strict conformity with the showing of the drawings but may be changed or modified so long as such changes or modifications mark no material departure from the salient features of the invention as expressed in the appended claims.

In the drawings: Figure 1 is a view in perspective of the game device embodying the present invention.

Figure 2 is a fragmentary sectional view taken vertically through the play surface illustrating the normal position of the pin resetting means v and the connection between said means and the pins. V

Figure 3 is a sectional View similar to Figure 2 but showing the position of the pin resetting means when actuated in order to restore the pins to vertical position.

Figure .7, but showing the play board in position and in section, with play members thereon.

Referring now more particularly to the drawings, the numeral I generally designates the base portion of the game device embodying the pres- 15 ent invention, which base comprises a rectangular frame 2 within which is secured a play board 3, the top surface of which constitutes what might be termed the play surface, as this supports the shiftable pin members, hereinafter de- 20 scribed, which form a part of the device.

Extending transversely of the frame beneath the board 3 is a bar 4 and pivotally secured to the underside of this bar by means of the screw 5 or in any other suitable manner, is a pin resetting 25 disk 6 which is designed for limited rotary movement beneath the play board 3. In order that this disk 6 may be kept properly spaced from the play board 3 or, in other words, prevented from movement out of a parallel plane with the play board, there are secured to its top side, the blocks 7 which are diametrically spaced as shown in Figure 5. One of the blocks 1 has a control arm or lever 8 attached thereto which extends laterally through a suitable opening 9 in a side of the frame 2. A spring l0 connects the block to which the lever B is attached, with the fixed bar 4 and holds the resetting disk in one position which is the normal position for the disk while the device is being played. 0

The play board 3 is provided with an annular series of apertures ll and the resetting disk 6 has a similar annular series of apertures H which define a circle of the same diameter as the circle defined by the apertures H and when'the disk 6 is in normal position under the control of the spring ill, the apertures l2 of the disk are in vertical alinement with the apertures H of the play board.

The numeral l3 designates the playing pins and 50 these pins are equal in number with the apertures H and each is located over an aperture when set up for play. The underside of each pin or the bottom face thereof has secured therein a staple I I, or other suitable eye forming means, for

the attachment of a resetting cord to the pin. This resetting cord is indicated by the numeral l5 and consists of a single length or strand which lies against the underside of the disk 6 and has a series of loops I6 therein which pass up through the apertures I2 and II for connection with the staple I4 of a pin. In placing the cord I5, the start is made from the underside of the disk 6 and the cord is taken up through a pair of vertically alined apertures III2, passed through the staple of the adjacent pin I3, and then brought back down through the alined aperturesand carried around the circle to the next aperture where the process is repeated and this is continued around the entire circle, bringing the other end of the cord down to the under side of the disk where it is secured to the first end. Thus, it will be seen that allof the pins I3 are joined together by a single cord and a sufficient amount of slack is leftin the cord so that when the resetting disk 6 is in its normal condition under the control of the spring I0, each loop may have sufiicient slack, as shown in Figure 2, to permit the attached pin to be knocked over without decreasing the slack of any of the other loops. Figure 2 shows the slack of a set up pin and illustrates how the slack of another pin will be taken up when the said other pin is knocked over.

Arranged to overlie the play board 3 is a substantially U-shaped frame I'I, this frame being preferably disposed in a plane passing through the center of the play board at right angles to two sides thereof, the central point of the play board being designated upon the top surface thereof by a spot I8. At the center of the top of the frame IT a tether I 9 is attached upon the free end of which is a ball 28. Various types of play balls may be employed with this game but it is preferred that such ball have a center ill of metal, such as lead or other suitable heavy material, covered with a'rubber coating 22.

In the playing of the present game device, the frame l1 not only constitutes a supporting means for the tethered play ball but it also constitutes a hazard for the player, requiring a greater degree of skill to knock over a large number of the pins or all thereof, than would be required if the side posts of such a frame were not present.

The game is played by grasping the ball and drawing it outwardly so that when it is released, it will swing in and follow a path which will cause it to knock over the pins 53, the object being, of course, to control the swing of the ball in such a manner as to effect the upsetting of the greatest number of pins. The most effective manner of accomplishing this object is to draw the ball out to a position where the tether I9 will lie in relatively close proximity to one side of the frame I1, so that when the ball is released it will swing down through the frame to the far side and describe a loop which will cause the ball on its return swing to strike the first pin at the opposite side of the frame and remote from theposition from which the ball was released. The loop described by the ball on its forward and return swing will bring it back through the frame along a line to cause it to strike the pin upon the side of the frame nearest the point from which the ball was released and if proper control is given the ball, these back and forth movements through the frame will be repeated while, at the same time, the ball will move around in a circle having the spot 18 as the center and will eventually take in, in its last swing through the frame, the, pins whichlie respectively, upon the opposite side of the frame from the starting position of the ball and nearest the starting position and upon the same side of the frame as the starting position of the ball and remote from the starting position. After the pins, or some thereof, have been knocked over, a resetting of the pins is accomplished by giving an oscillatory movement to the resetting disk 6 so that all of the loops I6 will be drawn taut, as shown in Figure 3, and this will pull all of the pins back to an erect position upon the play board 3, as is illustrated in this figure. When the disk is released, the spring II] will return it to the position where the apertures of the disk and the play board will be vertically alined, as shown in Figure 2.

Another means for accomplishing resetting of the pins is illustrated in Figures '7 and 8 wherein the frame of the device is generally indicated by the numeral 23 and the play board set in the frame is indicated at 24, the pins 25 being set upon this board over apertures 26 as in the case of the structure first described. There is also, of course, employed with this modified form the frame and ball shown in Figure l, but there has only been illustrated the lower portion of the ball supporting frame, this being indicated by the numeral 27.

The shiftable resetting means of the modified form comprises a plate 28 which is disposed in parallel positions beneath the play board 24 and beneath the brace bar 29 which extends across the frame beneath the play board. This plate has an annular series of apertures 30 corresponding to the annular series of apertures 26 and it has a width in one direction less than the width of the frame 23, as shown in Figure '7, while in the opposite direction, the width is slightly greater than the interior width of the frame 28 so that the side edges may be slidably engaged in guide grooves 3! in the inner faces of two sides of the frame 23, as shown in Figure 8.

The numeral 32 designates the resetting cord which couples the pins with the plate 28, this cord being arranged in the same manner as described in connection with the form of the invention shown in Figure 1. The plate 28 is connected on its underside with one end of a spring 33, the other end' of the spring being attached to an adjacent side of the frame so that the plate 28 will constantly be drawn to a side of the frame where the apertures thereof will be in alinement with the apertures 26 of the playboard 24. At the opposite side of the plate 28 from the spring 3d an actuating lever 34 is connected with the plate and extends through a suitable opening in the frame so that by means of this lever, the plate 28 may be shifted against the tension of the spring 33 to a position where the resetting cord 32 will have its loops drawn taut so as to bring the pins back to an erect position ready for play.

From the foregoing it will be readily apparent that there has been described herein a game device of novel form and having novel means associated-with the pin members whereby the latter may be quickly and conveniently reset after being displaced or knocked over by the play piece constituting the tethered ball. It will also be appreciated that the present game is of a character which will create interest by reason of the fact that there is scope for the development of considerable skill in controlling the swinging of the ball whereby a maximum number of pins may be knocked over with one swinging of the play ball.

'1. In a game of the character described, including a board forming a playing surface, a plurality of play members standing on said surface to be struck and overturned by a projectile, the said board having a plurality of openings therethrough arranged to form a geometrical outline, each play member being disposed over an opening, a plate member disposed beneath the board and supported for limited movement in a plane paralleling the board, said plate having a plurality of openings corresponding in number and geometrical arrangement with the openings of the board, the plate having a normal position in which its openings are alined with the openings of the board, resilient means holding said plate in the said normal position, a single cord secured to the underside of the plate and having portions formed into loops passing upwardly through the plate openings and the board openings for attachment to the play members, said loops being slack when the plate is in normal position to permit the play members to be knocked over, and means for shifting the plate in a manner to pull said slacked loops taut to restore the play members to upright position.

2. In a game of the character described, including a board forming a playing surface, a plurality of play members standing on said surface to be struck and overturned by a projectile, the said board having a plurality of openings therethrough formed in a circle and each play memher being positioned over an opening, a plate member disposed beneath the board and sup ported for limited movement in a plane paralleling the board, said plate having a plurality of openings corresponding in number and arrangement with the openings of the board, the plate having a normal position in which its openings are alined with the openings of the board, resilient means holding said plate in the said normal position, a cord secured to the underside of the plate and having loops pass-ing upwardly through the plate openings and the board openings for attachment to the play members, said loops being slack when the plate is in normal position to permit the play members to be knocked over, and means for shifting the plate to pull said slacked loops taut to restore the play members to upright position, the said plate being of circular form andcentrally pivotally connected with the board so that its shifting movement will be about the pivotal center.-

3. In a game of the character described, including a board forming a playing surface, a plurality of play members standing on said surface to be struck and overturned by a projectile, the said board having a plurality of openings therethrough formed in a circle and each play member being positioned over an opening, a plate member disposed beneath the board and supported for limited movement in a plane paralleling the board, said plate having a plurality of openings corresponding in number and arrangement with the openings of the board, the plate having a normal position in which its openings are alined with the openings of the board, resilient means holding said plate in the said normal position, a cord secured to the underside of the plate and having loops' passing upwardly through the plate openings and the board openings for attachment to the play members, said loops being slack when the plate is in normal position to permit the play members to be knocked over, and means for shifting the plate to pull said slacked loops taut to restore the play members to upright position, said plate being supported at opposite edges for limited sliding movement beneath said board in said plane.

4. A device of the character described, comprising a play board providing a playing surface, a frame enclosing the board, a bar member disposed transversely in the frame across the underside of the board, a circular plate disposed upon the underside of the board and having pivotal connection with said bar for oscillatory movement, means interposed between the plate and the board for maintaining the plate in parallel relation with the board, means for oscillating said plate, resilient means connected with the plate and urging the same to oscillate to a normal position, said plate and said board each having a circular series of apertures, the apertures being normally in vertically alined relation, a plurality of play members disposed in upright position upon the board and each positioned over an aperture and adapted to be overturned by a projectile, a cord forming a single annular strand disposed upon the underside of the plate and having a series of loops extending upwardly through the alined apertures of the plate and board, and each of said loops being connected with a play member and each being slack when the plate is in normal position.

ROBERT B. MANGQLD. 

